Agenda for Cabinet on Tuesday 9 February 2021, 6.00 pm

Agenda, decisions and minutes

Venue: Virtual Meeting via MS TeamsLive Meeting Platform

Contact: Claire Skoyles: Democratic Services Officer  Email: claire.skoyles@westsuffolk.gov.uk

Media

Items
No. Item

211.

Welcome and meeting facilitation

Minutes:

The Chair formally opened the meeting and welcomed all persons present, including those that were viewing the meeting externally via the live broadcast.

 

Leah Mickleborough, Service Manager (Democratic Services), was acting as facilitator for the meeting where support was felt necessary and upon being invited to do so, assisted the Chair in detailing the housekeeping matters and guidance as to how the meeting would operate within the virtual setting.

212.

Apologies for absence

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Joanna Rayner.

213.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 144 KB

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 8 December 2020 (copy attached).

Minutes:

The minutes of the meeting held on 8 December 2020 were confirmed as a correct record.

214.

Declarations of interest

Members are reminded of their responsibility to declare any pecuniary or local non pecuniary interest which they have in any item of business on the agenda, no later than when that item is reached and, when appropriate, to leave the meeting prior to discussion and voting on the item.

Minutes:

Members’ declarations of interest are recorded under the item to which the declaration relates.

215.

Open forum

At each Cabinet meeting, up to 15 minutes shall be allocated for questions or statements from and discussion with, non-Cabinet members. As this meeting is being held virtually, members wishing to speak during this session must notify Democratic Services by 9am on the day of the meeting that they wish to attend. Who speaks and for how long will be at the complete discretion of the person presiding.

Minutes:

No non-Cabinet members in attendance wished to speak under this item.

 

(Councillor Marion Rushbrook joined the meeting during the consideration of this item.)

216.

Public participation

Members of the public who live or work in the district are invited to put one question or statement of not more than three minutes duration relating to items to be discussed in Part 1 of the agenda only. If a question is asked and answered within three minutes, the person who asked the question may ask a supplementary question that arises from the reply.

 

As the meeting is taking place virtually, a person who wishes to speak must register by 9am on Monday 8 February 2021 to ensure that there is time to brief them on how they can speak at the meeting. This can be done by sending the request to democratic.services@westsuffolk.gov.uk

or by telephoning one of the numbers provided on the Public Information Sheet at the start of this agenda. Members of the public will either be set up as a ‘Guest Speaker’ or be provided with a telephone number they can call when prompted to do so during the meeting to enable them to participate.

 

If a member of the public cannot attend the meeting remotely, they may submit a written question or statement to Democratic Services by midday at the very latest on the day of the meeting and this will be read out on their behalf during the meeting.

 

There is an overall time limit of 15 minutes for public speaking, which may be extended at the Chair’s discretion.

Minutes:

No members of the public in attendance had registered to speak.

217.

Report of the Anglia Revenues and Benefits Partnership Joint Committee: 8 December 2020 (Report number: CAB/WS/21/002) pdf icon PDF 210 KB

Report number:     CAB/WS/21/002

Portfolio holder: Councillor Sarah Broughton

Lead officer: Rachael Mann

Minutes:

The Cabinet received and noted this report, which informed members of the following substantive items discussed by the Anglia Revenues and Benefits Partnership Joint Committee at its meeting held on 8 December 2020:

 

1.       Performance and Service Updates;

2.       Anglia Revenues Partnership (ARP) Financial Performance 2020 to 2021; 

3.       ARP Joint Committee Partnership Budget;

4.       Anglia Revenues Partnership Service Delivery Plan and Risk Register;

5.       Welfare Reform Update; and

6.       Forthcoming Issues.

 

Councillor Sarah Broughton, Portfolio Holder for Resources and Performance, drew relevant issues to the attention of Cabinet, including placing her thanks on record for the additional work ARP had undertaken in supporting residents since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

218.

Report of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee: 14 January 2021 (Report number: CAB/WS/21/003) pdf icon PDF 130 KB

Report number:     CAB/WS/21/003

Chair of the Committee: Councillor Ian Shipp

Lead officer: Christine Brain

Minutes:

The Cabinet received and noted this report, which informed members of the following substantive items discussed by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee at its meeting held on 14 January 2021:

 

1.       Public Space Protection Orders (PSPO): West Suffolk; and

2.       Work programme update 2021 and suggestions for scrutiny.

 

Councillor Ian Shipp, Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee drew relevant issues to the attention of Cabinet, including that together with making comments on suggested variations to existing PSPOs and proposals for moving forward with two variations, the Committee had agreed to establish a small working party to undertake a scrutiny review of the Council’s website with particular emphasis on customer access.

 

Councillor Everitt, Portfolio Holder for Families and Communities, explained that stakeholder and public consultation was now being undertaken on the proposed variations to existing PSPOs in Bury St Edmunds and Haverhill, as outlined in 2.1.3 of the report, and having analysed the outcomes from the consultation, a final decision would be sought from Cabinet on whether to make the variations on 16 March 2021.  

 

219.

Report of the Performance and Audit Scrutiny Committee: 28 January 2021 (Report number: CAB/WS/21/004) pdf icon PDF 147 KB

Report number:     CAB/WS/21/004

Chair of the Committee: Councillor Ian Houlder

Portfolio holder: Councillor Sarah Broughton

Lead officer: Christine Brain

Minutes:

The Cabinet received and noted this report, which informed members of the following substantive items discussed by the Performance and Audit Scrutiny Committee at its meeting held on 28 January 2021:

 

1.       Ernst and Young – Annual Audit Letter 2019 to 2020;

2.       2020 to 2021 Performance Report (Quarter 3);

3.       Delivering a Sustainable Medium Term Budget;

4.       Financial Resilience (December 2020);

5.       Financial Resilience – Strategy Statement 2021 to 2022 and Treasury Management Code of Practice; and

6.       Work Programme Update 2021.

 

Councillor Ian Houlder, Chair of the Performance and Audit Scrutiny Committee (PASC) drew relevant issues to the attention of Cabinet, including that separate reports were contained on the agenda for items 3, 4. and 5. above.

 

Councillor Sara Mildmay-White, Portfolio Holder for Housing, provided an explanation in respect of the point made under paragraph 2.2.7 of the report where a discussion had been held at the PASC meeting on whether the temporary housing units in Olding Road, Bury St Edmunds were still being used. Councillor Mildmay-White stated that 14 units were currently occupied and were vital to support those in need, particularly during the difficult winter months. Work was being undertaken with different housing providers to bring forward more accommodation options.

220.

Recommendation of the Performance and Audit Scrutiny Committee: 28 January 2021: Delivering a Sustainable Medium-Term Budget (Report number: CAB/WS/21/005) pdf icon PDF 253 KB

Report number:     CAB/WS/21/005

Portfolio holder: Councillor Sarah Broughton

Lead officer: Rachael Mann

 

Decision:

Recommended to Council, as part of the budget setting process (23 February 2021):

 

That the proposals as detailed in Section 2 and Table 1 at Appendix B of Report number: PAS/WS/21/003, be included in the medium-term financial plans.

Minutes:

The Cabinet considered this report, which was recommending to Council, the approval of proposals for inclusion in the medium-term financial plans.

 

In July 2020, Cabinet had agreed proposed next steps and principles for future financial planning across the medium term (Report number: CAB/WS/20/043).  The approach was designed to enable the Council to respond effectively to changing circumstances while maintaining a medium-term focus on the Council’s financial sustainability.

 

On 19 November 2020, the Performance and Audit Scrutiny Committee (PASC) supported the key budget assumptions underpinning the 2021 to 2022 and medium-term budgets for West Suffolk Council, which were subsequently approved by Cabinet and Council in December 2020.   

 

Report number: PAS/WS/21/003 presented to the Committee on 28 January 2021 provided an update on those key budget assumptions as a result of both the provisional settlement announced on 25 November 2020 and the detailed budget process undertaken by service areas supported by their finance business partners during November and December 2020.

 

The report also set out the scale of the financial challenge for West Suffolk Council for 2021 to 2022 and the medium-term, and the plans to address those financial challenges in enabling the Council to meet its statutory responsibility to set a balanced budget for the forthcoming year. 

 

The proposals were set out in Section 2 and Appendix B: Table 1 of Report Number: PAS/WS/21/003 (and reproduced in the Cabinet report) had been incorporated into the budget setting process, the composite report for which was to be considered by Cabinet later in the meeting under agenda item 12, for referral to Council on 23 February 2021. Should Cabinet therefore not endorse any of the proposals endorsed by PASC, or suggest alternatives, this would need to be reflected in the subsequent budget setting documentation and recommendations.

 

Councillor Sarah Broughton, Portfolio Holder for Resources and Performance, drew relevant issues to the attention of Cabinet, including thanking the Performance and Audit Scrutiny Committee for their role in helping to shape the budget for 2021 to 2022 and beyond.

 

Cabinet demonstrated its support for the approach to the Council’s future financial planning previously agreed in July 2020 and considered the proposals outlined in the report pragmatically underpinned this approach and would contribute to the delivery of a sustainable medium-term budget.

 

 

Recommended to Council, as part of the budget setting process (23 February 2021):

 

That the proposals as detailed in Section 2 and Table 1 at Appendix B of Report number: PAS/WS/21/003, be included in the medium-term financial plans.

221.

Recommendation of the Performance and Audit Scrutiny Committee: 28 January 2021: Financial Resilience (December 2020) (Report number: CAB/WS/21/006) pdf icon PDF 124 KB

Report number:     CAB/WS/21/006

Portfolio holder: Councillor Sarah Broughton

Lead officer: Rachael Mann

Decision:

Recommended to Council (23 February 2021):

 

That the Financial Resilience Report (December 2020), as contained in Report number: FRS/WS/21/001, be approved.

Minutes:

The Cabinet considered this report, which was recommending to Council, the approval of the Financial Resilience Report for the third quarter of the 2020 to 2021 financial year.

 

Councillor Sarah Broughton, Portfolio Holder for Resources and Performance, drew relevant issues to the attention of Cabinet, including that the total amount invested at 1 April 2020 was £29,900,000 and at 31 December 2020, £38,900,000.

 

The 2020 to 2021 Annual Treasury Management and Investment Strategy set out the Council’s projections for the current financial year.  The budget for investment income in 2020 to 2021 was £142,141 which was based on a 0.65 percent target interest rate of return on investments.

 

As at the end of December 2020, interest earned during the third quarter of the financial year amounted to £73,250.00 against a profiled budget for the period of £106,605; a budgetary deficit of £33,355.  The budgetary deficit related to continued low interest rates as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic which started in mid-March 2020. 

 

The report also included a summary of the borrowing and capital costs - affordability; borrowing and income – proportionality; borrowing and asset yields; borrowing and temporary loans and other market considerations.

 

As at the end of December 2020 a total of £16.8 million had been borrowed internally to fund agreed business case investments from available cash balances.  This had meant the Council had not had any additional external borrowing over the long-term £4 million loan.

 

 

Recommended to Council (23 February 2021):

 

That the Financial Resilience Report (December 2020), as contained in Report number: FRS/WS/21/001, be approved.

222.

Recommendations of the Performance and Audit Scrutiny Committee: 28 January 2021: Financial Resilience - Strategy Statement 2021 to 2022 and Treasury Management Code of Practice (Report number: CAB/WS/21/007) pdf icon PDF 124 KB

Report number:     CAB/WS/21/007

Portfolio holder: Councillor Sarah Broughton

Lead officer: Rachael Mann

Decision:

Recommended to Council (23 February 2021):

That:

 

1.       the Financial Resilience Strategy Statement 2021 to 2022 as set out in Appendix 1 to Report number: FRS/WS/21/002, be approved; and

 

2.       the Treasury Management Code of Practice, as set out in Appendix 2 to Report number: FRS/WS/21/002, be approved.

Minutes:

The Cabinet considered this report, which was recommending to Council, the approval of the Financial Resilience - Strategy Statement 2021 to 2022 and Treasury Management Code of Practice.

 

Councillor Sarah Broughton, Portfolio Holder for Resources and Performance, drew relevant issues to the attention of Cabinet, including that the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy’s (CIPFA) Treasury Management Code of Practice required that, prior to the start of the financial year the Council should formally approve a Treasury Management Policy Statement and Investment Strategy, setting out the Council’s treasury management policy and strategy for the forthcoming year.

 

The Treasury Management Strategy Statement 2021 to 2022 was attached as Appendix 1 to Report number: FRS/WS/21/002, and the Treasury Management Code of Practice attached as Appendix 2.

 

The report also included additional supporting information on treasury advisors; borrowing strategy; investment strategy counterparty ratings and interest rate projections.

 

 

Recommended to Council (23 February 2021):

That:

 

1.       the Financial Resilience Strategy Statement 2021 to 2022 as set out in Appendix 1 to Report number: FRS/WS/21/002, be approved; and

 

2.       the Treasury Management Code of Practice, as set out in Appendix 2 to Report number: FRS/WS/21/002, be approved.

223.

Budget and Council Tax Setting 2021 to 2022 and Medium Term Financial Strategy 2021 to 2025 (Report number: CAB/WS/21/008) pdf icon PDF 288 KB

Report number:     CAB/WS/21/008

Portfolio holder: Councillor Sarah Broughton

Lead officer: Rachael Mann

Additional documents:

Decision:

Recommended to Council (23 February 2021):

That:

 

1.       the revenue and capital budget for 2021 to 2025, plus 2020 to 2021 capital projects that subsequently require to be carried forward at the year end, attached at Attachment A and as detailed in Attachment D (Appendices 1-5), Attachment E (Appendices 1-3) and Attachment F to Report number: CAB/WS/21/008, be approved.

 

2.       Having taken into account the conclusions of the Assistant Director’s (Resources and Performance) report on the adequacy of reserves and the robustness of budget estimates (Attachment C) and the Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) (Attachment D), particularly the Scenario Planning and Sensitivity Analysis (Attachment D, Appendix 5) and all other information contained in Report number: CAB/WS/21/008, the Cabinet recommends an average £4.99 increase in Band D council tax across both predecessor areas of St Edmundsbury and Forest Heath.  This assumption is based on the option to harmonise the two predecessor areas by April 2022.  The level of Band D council tax for 2021 to 2022, therefore, be recommended to be set at £185.40 for the predecessor area of St Edmundsbury and £175.59 for the predecessor area of Forest Heath. (The level of council tax beyond 2021 to 2022 will be set in accordance with the annual budget process for the relevant financial year).

 

3.       The Assistant Director (Resources and Performance), in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Resources and Performance, be authorised to vire funds between existing Earmarked Reserves (as set out at Attachment D, Appendix 3) as deemed appropriate throughout the medium term financial planning period.

 

4.       Approval be given to the Flexible Use of Capital Receipts Strategy (as set out in Attachment G).

Minutes:

The Cabinet considered the above report, which presented the proposals for Budget and Council Tax Setting in 2021 to 2022 and the Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) 2021 to 2025.

 

Councillor Sarah Broughton, Portfolio Holder for Resources and Performance drew relevant issues to the attention of the Cabinet, including that Report number: CAB/WS/21/008 provided details of the Council’s proposed revenue and capital budgets for 2021 to 2022 and in the medium term, and the Cabinet was required to recommend to Council approval of the 2021 to 2022 budget for the authority, including establishing the level of council tax required to help fund the Council’s activities over the next year. 

 

As minuted under minute 220. above, the Cabinet supported the key budget assumptions and proposals for securing a balanced budget for 2021 to 2022, as previously considered and recommended by the Performance and Audit Scrutiny Committee and incorporated into Report No: CAB/WS/21/005.

 

The 2021 to 2022 budget had been prepared in the context of not only the significant challenges facing local government, such as reductions in national funding streams, but also a national and worldwide Covid-19 pandemic. Since the outbreak of Covid-19 in the UK, a number of events had occurred which had had a significant impact on all local government, including West Suffolk Council’s financial position in the current financial year and these were expected to continue into 2021 to 2022. Some of these had been restrictions imposed by Government which would continue to affect the Council’s investments, assets and services; and other events had been announcements of Government financial support.

 

The Council had played a vital role in responding to the pandemic, in supporting businesses and communities for example, as well as running essential services during challenging conditions. Further details were provided in section 1 of the report, including the impact of Covid-19 on the Council’s financial position which would not be fully known for a significant time.

 

The medium term plans had also been prepared in the context of significant uncertainties around Government policy, examples of which were contained in section 1.8 of the report, while continuing to acknowledge the economic impact, challenges, uncertainties and unknowns of the Covid-19 pandemic.

 

Councils nationally were expected to achieve a balanced budget through savings and producing local income to fund services due to reduced Government funding. This year, as a one off to assist with the expected continued impact of Covid-19, the Council would see an increase in funding from the Government.  However, members noted this would not completely neutralise the impact expected from the pandemic. Nor would it address the financial challenges that already existed for local government following a decade of funding reductions and increases in the demand for services such as housing and homelessness support.

 

Despite this and the additional pressures presented by Covid-19, through prudent budgeting, a review of the Council’s vacant posts, investment as well as transformation, West Suffolk Council was in a good financial position. However, while this meant a balanced budget could be set  ...  view the full minutes text for item 223.

224.

Decisions Plan: 1 February 2021 to 31 May 2021 pdf icon PDF 237 KB

To consider the most recently published version of the Cabinet’s Decisions Plan

 

Report number:     CAB/WS/21/009

Portfolio holder: Councillor John Griffiths

Lead officer: Ian Gallin

Minutes:

The Cabinet considered this report which was the Cabinet Decisions Plan covering the period 1 February 2021 to 31 May 2021.

 

Members took the opportunity to review the intended forthcoming decisions of the Cabinet; however, no further information or amendments were requested on this occasion.

225.

Recommendations from the Grant Working Party - January 2021: Community Chest 2021 to 2022 (Report number: CAB/WS/21/010) pdf icon PDF 239 KB

Report number:     CAB/WS/21/010

Portfolio holder: Councillor Robert Everitt

Lead officer: Davina Howes

 

Additional documents:

Decision:

Resolved:

That:

 

1.       the allocation of Community Chest funding for 2021 to 2022, as previously approved in 2019 to 2020 as part of two-year funding agreements, be noted, (Report number: CAB/WS/20/007 refers) namely:

 

a.       Reach Community Projects, Haverhill (separate project to that listed in 2a. below) £10,000

 

b.       Relate, West Suffolk (separate project to that listed in 2m.below) £5,000

 

2.       The allocation of Community Chest funding for 2021 to 2022, be approved, namely:

 

a.       Reach Community Projects, Haverhill   £10,000

b.       West Suffolk Citizens Advice, West Suffolk    £204,000

c.       Friends of Priory School, Bury St Edmunds    £5,304

d.       Haverhill Community Trust, Haverhill   £6,900

e.       Student Life, West Suffolk         £5,000

f.       Greener Growth CIC, West Suffolk      £2,660

g.       Suffolk Accident And Rescue Service (SARS), West Suffolk          £10,000

h.       Risby Village Hall, Risby   £1,340

i.        St John’s Church, Beck Row       £2,000

j.        Alumah CIO, Brandon      £5,880

k.       Bury Women’s Aid, West Suffolk £6,280

l.        Fresh Start New Beginnings, West Suffolk     £10,000

m.      Relate, West Suffolk        £5,000

n.       Suffolk Cruse Bereavement, West Suffolk      £5,738

o.       Suffolk Rape Crisis, West Suffolk         £5,625

p.       Best Before Project, Bury St Edmunds £8,740

q.       Epic Dads CIC, West Suffolk      £14,500

r.       Homestart in Suffolk, West Suffolk      £7,000

s.       Homestart Mid and West Suffolk – Forest School, West Suffolk   £9,510

t.       Sharing Parenting – Family Outreach, West Suffolk £13,000

u.       St Peter’s Church, Brandon       £9,623

v.       Art Branches CIC, West Suffolk £9,600

w.      Headway, West Suffolk    £6,240

x.       Millennium Farm Trust, West Suffolk   £6,480

y.       St Nicholas Hospice Trust, West Suffolk        £13,158

z.       Suffolk Mind, West Suffolk         £5,360

aa.     The Shed, West Row        £1,139

bb.     Bury Drop In, Bury St Edmunds £11,996

cc.     Gatehouse, Bury St Edmunds    £15,000

dd.     Lightwave, Red Lodge and Beck Row   £6,000

ee.     Our Special Friends, West Suffolk        £10,660

ff.      The Voluntary Network, West Suffolk  £12,000

gg.     West Suffolk Vineyard Church, Bury St Edmunds    £6,000

 

 

3.       No Community Chest funding be awarded for two years for the reasons outlined in paragraph 3.3 of Report number: CAB/WS/21/010

 

4.       No Community Chest funding for 2021 to 2022 be awarded to:

 

a.    Babylon Arts West Suffolk

b.    Bury Cricket Club, Bury St Edmunds

c.    Bury Scout Group, Bury St Edmunds

d.    Haverhill Running Club, Haverhill

e.    Ipswich Town Football Club, Brandon

f.     Kinetic Science, West Suffolk

g.    M&L Arts, West Suffolk

h.   Mildenhall Girl Guides, Mildenhall

i.     Mildenhall Sea Scouts, Mildenhall

j.     Newmarket Swimming Club, Newmarket

k.    St Edmundsbury Sailing and Canoe Club, Lackford Lakes

l.     The Racing Centre, Newmarket

m.  The Suffolk Foundation, West Suffolk

n.   Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds (separate project to 5. below)

o.    Bardwell Allotments, Bardwell

p.    Brandon in Bloom, Brandon

q.    Bury Water Meadows Project, Bury St Edmunds

r.    Pakenham Water Mill, Pakenham

s.    Radio West Suffolk, Bury St Edmunds

t.     SOS Bus, Newmarket

u.   West Suffolk Hive, West Suffolk

v.    All Saints Church, Newmarket

w.   Honington and Sapiston Village Hall

x.    Jiggens Memorial Hall and Playing Field, Ixworth

y.    Ousden Village Hall, Ousden

z.    Stansfield Village Hall, Stansfield  ...  view the full decision text for item 225.

Minutes:

(Councillor David Roach declared a local non-pecuniary interest in this item in his capacity as a Haverhill Town Councillor; the Town Council is the sole trustee of the Haverhill Community Trust. Councillor Robert Everitt declared a local non-pecuniary interest in this item as a Suffolk County Council appointed observer on the board of the Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds. Both members remained in the meeting for the consideration of the item and voted.)

 

The Cabinet considered this report, which sought approval for the recommendations of the Grant Working Party following its consideration of applications for Community Chest funding in the 2021 to 2022 financial year. Approval was also sought for a separate core funding grant to the Theatre Royal in Bury St Edmunds.

 

Applications for Community Chest funding for 2021 to 2022 closed on 30 October 2020.  A total of 64 applications were received, totalling £1,661,855.93 from a wide variety of organisations as detailed in Appendix 1 to the report.  Due to one application being withdrawn by the applicant and one being received after the deadline, 62 applications were subsequently considered.

 

The Community Chest budget for 2021 to 2022 was £466,733. £15,000 of the budget was committed in 2019 for second year funding, as listed in the report and noted by the Cabinet. The remaining budget available for 2021 to 2022 was therefore £451,733.

 

There were a number of potential synergies between the applications and as such they were grouped into various categories as set out in section 2.3 of the report. Each application was required to be evaluated by the Working Party in accordance with the eligibility and selection criteria set out in Appendix 2 of the Grant Working Party report and was considered in turn.

 

Councillor Robert Everitt, Portfolio Holder for Families and Communities, drew relevant issues to the attention of Cabinet and commended the Grant Working Party for their sterling work and thanked officers that had supported the process. Before making any further comments, with the agreement of the Chair, he invited Councillor Jim Thorndyke, Chair of the Grant Working Party to provide a summary of their work.

 

Councillor Thorndyke informed Cabinet that the Working Party had met on three occasions in December 2020 and January 2021 to consider each application and to make appropriate recommendations for Community Chest funding (if any). The main challenge faced by the Working Party was that over £1.6 million worth of funding had been applied for and following the removal from the 2021 to 2022 budget of funding already allocated in 2019 as part of two year funding agreements, a budget of just over of £451,733 remained. A significant amount had been applied for by Citizens Advice West Suffolk, and therefore following a sizeable allocation to this organisation, the budget was depleted further for allocation to other applicants. 

 

Councillor Thorndyke explained that the Working Party spent over 12 hours thoroughly considering each of the 62 applications and extremely difficult decisions needed to be made. Having ascertained whether an application firstly met  ...  view the full minutes text for item 225.

226.

Revenues Collection Performance and Write-Offs (Report number: CAB/WS/21/011) pdf icon PDF 134 KB

Report number:     CAB/WS/21/011

Portfolio holder: Councillor Sarah Broughton

Lead officer: Rachael Mann

Decision:

Resolved:

That:

 

The write-off of the amounts detailed in the exempt appendices to Report number: CAB/WS/21/011, be approved, as follows:

                                     

1.       Exempt Appendix 1: business rates totalling £29,946.61

2.       Exempt Appendix 2: West Suffolk Council sundry debts totalling £43,656.53

Minutes:

The Cabinet considered this report, which provided the collection data in respect of council tax and National Non-Domestic Rates (NNDR) and sought approval for the write-off of the amounts contained in the exempt appendices attached to the report.

 

Councillor Sarah Broughton, Portfolio Holder for Resources and Performance, drew relevant issues to the attention of the Cabinet, including the current performance of both council tax and business rates collection, as set out in Section 2 of the report. 

 

Members noted that reliefs introduced by central Government in response to the Covid-19 pandemic (many of which provided 100 percent relief for 2020 to 2021) had reduced the amount of debt to be collected and, in turn, had contributed to a slight improvement on the collection rate to date.

 

 

Resolved:

That:

 

The write-off of the amounts detailed in the exempt appendices to Report number: CAB/WS/21/011, be approved, as follows:

                                     

1.       Exempt Appendix 1: business rates totalling £29,946.61

2.       Exempt Appendix 2: West Suffolk Council sundry debts totalling £43,656.53

227.

Exclusion of press and public

To consider whether the press and public should be excluded during the consideration of the following items because it is likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings, that if members of the public were present during the items, there would be disclosure to them of exempt categories of information as prescribed in Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972, and indicated against each item and, in all circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

Minutes:

See minute 228. below.

228.

Exempt Appendices: Revenues Collection Performance and Write-Offs (paragraphs 1 and 2) (Report number: CAB/WS/21/011)

Exempt Appendices 1 and 2 to Report number:       CAB/WS/21/011

Portfolio holder: Councillor Sarah Broughton

Lead officer: Rachael Mann

Minutes:

The Cabinet considered the exempt appendices 1 and 2 to this report.  However, no reference was made to specific detail and, therefore, this item was not held in private session.

229.

Conclusion

Minutes:

On conclusion of the meeting, the Chair thanked all present for their attendance at this virtual meeting.  The live broadcast subsequently ended at this point.

 

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